When you call 9-1-1 to request an ambulance or the fire department in Kenosha for an emergency, are you confident that the people who arrive are good, law abiding citizens? You should be. Unfortunately in Kenosha, there is a chance that you should not be so confident. While the vast majority of Kenosha firefighters and EMT/Paramedics are hard-working, courageous and have a tough job, one in particular is accused of unthinkable acts.
We will call the woman in this story Julie. We will call her two adopted daughters with special needs Jenna, age 5 and Elizabeth, age 8. The following are allegations that were detailed in many pages of court documents and police reports.
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September, 2018.
Julie told police that she and Poltrock dropped off Elizabeth for her first day of Kindergarten. Julie confronts Poltrock with his habit of masturbation and looking at pornographic images. Poltrock left and got drunk at Clay’s Tap. He would miss picking up Elizabeth from school on her first day. Instead he came home later in the evening and was intoxicated. An argument ensued and Julie was thrown over two chairs. Poltrock called Julie worthless and put his arm around Julie’s neck. She told him she couldn’t breathe. He ended up driving away in his truck while drunk. He later called Julie and she said he was talking about suicide saying he would “end it all” and jump off the rocks into Lake Michigan. When Poltrock later returned home, Julie prayed that he would go straight to bed, and she covered herself in a blanket and slept on the couch. Her prayer was answered. He went straight to bed, and was very apologetic the next day. Julie went on to tell police of about a half a dozen other serious allegations of domestic violence.
June 5, 2020 Arrest
On June 5, 2020 officers with the Kenosha Police Department arrested Poltrock and booked him on Domestic Battery charges. It was determined that there was a conflict of interest with the City of Kenosha. Poltrock is a firefighter/EMT. The investigation was given to the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department.
June, 2020 Sexual Assault Disclosures
Julie was giving one of her daughters a bath when she told her mother about playing “touchy” with Dad (Poltrock). She told her mom they took a bath but Dad didn’t fit in the tub with them so Poltrock and his two adopted daughters took a shower instead. Poltrock then told Julie’s son from another relationship to go in the basement and clean. One of the girls told Julie that Poltrock “hurt her in the living room.” She then said the Poltrock hurt her butt. “Daddy hammered by butt and threw away my (underwear).” She also said that her daddy “peed” on her. One daughter also said the Poltrock had her massage him with lotion and oils on his upper-thighs up towards the groin area. She said her dad gave her money to be quiet about the touching. Elizabeth and Jenna made more disclosures to DCFS, a grandparent, and a child forensic interviewer. She said that Poltrock touched her privates – front, back and chest, and asked one girl to touch his privates , but they didn’t. A grandparent revealed that one of the girls said that dad had put his fingers in her butt but later apologized. The girls also said that their Dad would masturbate in front of them and ask them to help. He would touch them in their privates when he would ejaculate. The little girl tried to resist touching dad’s private, but wasn’t strong enough. She described what came out of dad’s private as “white, warm and gooey.” She seemingly described him having an orgasm by saying he was “shaking” and his face turned weird-looking. The girls began to reveal more instances of sexual assault to DCFS and a therapist; many too graphic for this publication.
June 22, 2020 Special Prosecutor
Kenosha DA Michael Graveley (D) determines his office has a conflict and he asked Racine DA Patricia Hanson to prosecute Poltrock. Traditionally, Graveley has recused himself but has still given orders to other DA’s on what to do.
June 22, 2020 – October 1, 2020 Racine County DA Refuses to Charge Poltrock
July 6, 2020 Restraining Order
Julie takes Poltrock to court for a restraining order. Poltrock admits under oath that he has slapped and shoved his wife. Restraining order granted for four years.
October 1, 2020 Racine DA Charges Poltrock After Public Push-Back
Racine DA charges Poltrock with six counts of domestic abuse. He faced up to three years in jail.
April 2, 2021
Poltrock’s EMT License was suspended for his pending domestic abuse case. He did not inform Kenosha Fire Department and treated 72 patients without a license placing the City of Kenosha at a remarkable liability. Kenosha County Eye told Fire Chief Chris Bigley about the rumor of a suspension. Jeff Phillips, the Director of the Office of Preparedness & Emergency Health Care at the WI Division of Public Health initially spoke with KCE about Poltrock but then went silent when we asked how Poltrock was able to get his license back with the allegations of sexual assault.
July 12, 2021 Racine DA and now-retired liberal activist judge Mary Wagner (D) Agree to drop all Domestic Abuse Charges against Poltrock
September 20, 2021 KCE Learns of Poltrock’s EMT license suspension and tells Chief. Chief places Poltrock on leave again.
November 9, 2021 Case Closed No Charges for Sexual Assault
Kenosha Sheriff’s Detective Daniel Bella referred all the reports to the Racine DA. Racine DA decides against criminal charges for sexual assault. Neither she nor her Deputy, Jensen replied to our request for comment.
November 19, 2021 Discipline
Chief Chris Bigley issues 5 day suspension to Poltrock for the domestic abuse and 1 day suspension for the EMT License issue.
The Thin Red Line
Of course, the Kenosha News promised that they wouldn’t print anything about Poltrock. They didn’t. Many KFD firefighters showed contempt for KCE for reporting on Poltrock’s behavior. For example, firefighter/EMT Jake Puntillo and newly promoted Captain Kelly Fonk both showed anger publicly towards KCE for reporting about Poltrock. They wanted me to follow the Kenosha News’ lead. Wrong guy for that. We asked Bigley for comment and he said in part, “based on the findings of the Department’s investigation, at this time, the Department believes that Firefighter Poltrock is capable of performing his job as a firefighter in a manner that effectively serves the public.”
Divorce Trial
In a two-day divorce trial this week, a judge heard from Detective Bella, DCFS and other witnesses. Also, there were new revelations that that Jenna and Elizabeth were photographed naked by Poltrock. The 4 pages of photographs were filed under court seal in the trial. Currently, Poltrock is barred from any contact with Jenna and Elizabeth. Julie’s lawyer wants to keep it that way, according to court documents. Judge Angelina Gabrielle will decide if Poltrock will see his girls again in an oral ruling scheduled for March 28, 2022.
Opinion
We are told that we must believe women. In this case an 8 year-old and a 5 year-old little girl told the same story to multiple people. This must have taken courage. Some believed these girls; Mom, DCFS, therapists, law enforcement, family and friends. Some did not; Fire Chief, Racine DA , Kenosha Mayor (who knows about this and ignored it), some members of KFD. Why? Because this man has the same occupation?
Racine DA and Racine DDA have a policy that they don’t charge cops or firefighters with crimes, with few exceptions. This is disgraceful. In the end, no legal consequences for admitted domestic abuse and corroborated sexual assault. Not a fine, no probation, no jail. Nothing.
It was an extremely difficult decision to publish this article, but in the end, it was decided that the public deserves to know about how the system failed these little girls and they need prayers. The justice system will always be fallible because the system is made up of people and people are fallible.
Let’s hope that the last buck stops at Judge Gabriele. Let’s hope she keeps Poltrock and theses girls separated for life. Even if you only believe what Poltrock has admitted to – domestic abuse. He is a monster, a monster in a fire-truck.
9 Responses
Yes, he is a monster in a fire truck! It is unbelievable that this monster is allowed to continue in this job. He should be in prison. There is something seriously wrong with local leadership. We should be outraged, but no, we just continue to watch these terrible decisions stand.
Once again the KCE displays its value to our community.
I’m alarmed at the lack of seriousness on the part of the authorities in this matter. Are they circling the wagons to protect one of their own or is pedophilia no longer viewed as a concerning crime against children?
Unbelievable, disgusting pig! he should be in prison for life and put on the sex offender registry! Instead, these poor children and the mother have to suffer these heinous effects from this pig. Thank you for publishing this story. Kenosha News is a loser publication–it is not even worthy to line my cat’s litter box
Thank you for having the courage to put this in print. I am happy that you don’t practice censorship as the Kenosha News does. Your article is accurate and compassionate. And you are right prayers are needed and hopefully some justice Thank you
There is an evil element in Kenosha and Racine Counties. Just as there are cases all over the U.S. of firemen and police stalking women, the same happened to me in Kenosha, and they all (police and fire) work together to harass and intimidate. Especially ex-wives and ex-girlfriends. I divorced a cop who assaulted me after two months of marriage. I didn’t report it because he pushed me down the hall toward the phone and said something to the effect of, “Go ahead and call. Who do you think they’re going to believe?” I was divorced four months later and walked away with nothing. Since then, I have been harassed and stalked by firemen and police, their families, friends, and any useful idiot they can get to do their dirty work – all in an effort to discredit me if I reported anything in order to place a label of “mentally ill” in their files. And that label follows a person everywhere. It is a death sentence. My life was destroyed. I lost my job of 18 years and became scared and depressed. But one of the best stories I have is when I went to a fire department near my home in Kenosha because of a bloody nose. Having worked at a medical products company for 18 years, I knew ambulances have clotting kits. Dah. But not this station. I didn’t even get a towel. I was taken to the hospital on Sheridan Road and placed in a room of a closed doctor’s office. I didn’t see the emergency room for hours, and was never given a towel, cold pack, or anything. The paramedics brought me to the room. When I opened the door to a dark nurse’s station, I started calling down the hall. Who came back? The paramedics. After nearly an hour, with my nose bleeding non-stop, I was taken to another room and left there for nearly two hours. I ran out of towels in the room, so I stood over the sink. Blood clots the size of golf balls were dropping out of my nose. I kept opening the door and looking for someone to help. No one. Finally, after being “hidden” in the hospital for nearly 3 hours, I was brought to the emergency room. A doctor put the clotting pack up my nose and the bleeding stopped. But that wasn’t enough. He put a hose up my nose with a bubble that he blew up, taped the end of the hose to the side of my face, and told me to see my doctor on Monday to remove it. This was on a Friday. The doctor said he had never seen such a thing put up a person’s nose, as it is used for heart procedures. I am still harassed, intimidated and stalked by on-duty and off-duty police, firemen, their families and friends. My advice: NEVER MARRY ONE OF THESE ASSHOLES.